Freak
by AlyssaFelixa
Summary: Sticks and stones may break your bones... but words will break your heart.


It had started off as something so small. Just a subtle change, a smile that vanished more easily, comments made more quietly and less often. A tendency to stay shut in his room. And then he stopped looking them in the eyes. Stopped making stupid jokes. Stopped smiling with that great goofy grin on his face.

Stopped being Mikey.

At first they had thought he was sulking about something or other. But every time they tried to apologise, he just mumbled that it had nothing to do with them, and retreated back to his room.

Then they figured he must be sick. Don performed every kind of test – but nothing out of the ordinary came up. And through all of this, Mikey just looked at his feet, cheeks burning, slipping away when their backs were turned and locking himself in his room once more.

Raph ranted and raged at him. Mikey didn't say a word to defend him.

Don abandoned his work and built him all kinds of cool inventions. Mikey didn't even glance at them.

Leo tried to coax Mikey into playing videogames with him. Mikey just stood there.

They almost got used to the silence that seemed to radiate from his door, to Mikey appearing only to grab his plate at mealtimes and eat it in his room. Their family seemed to have dwindled from an indomitable team of five to an awkward team of four, and no-one really knew what to do about it.

Then one day Leo was making himself a late lunch when he heard the soft click of a door opening, and footsteps so quiet they could almost be tiptoeing. Mikey, heading to the bathroom. Leo sighed mentally. Right now he'd kill to hear great bounding footsteps, followed by a crashing noise and an unperturbed "I'm okay!"

He didn't know he had got up until he found himself outside Mikey's door. He hadn't been in here for months – it was always occupied, and even before Mikey had taken to locking himself in, the awkward silence made it unbearable to be in. He reached out and quietly pushed it open.

Inside, it was a tip. Leo gasped at the familiar sight of old comics and action figures strewn across the floor, and a stack empty plates growing mould in the corner. It was almost like nothing had changed.

But then he noticed the thick dust that had formed a blanket over everything. He bent down and picked up an abandoned Spiderman figurine, the brilliant red and blue faded by what had to be several month's worth of dust. He blew on it, and a thick grey cloud swirled into the air.

It didn't look like Mikey had forgotten to put these away. He'd just lost all interest in them.

He jerked his head up suddenly. From the hallway came the patter of quiet footsteps that could only belong to one person. Mikey appeared in the doorway. He took one look at his big brother, gasped, and vanished. Leo heard his little brother bolting back into the bathroom and locking himself in. His heart felt like someone had grabbed it with both hands and was squeezing it until it burst.

Finally he could take it no more. He stood up and sprinted out of the room to hammer on the locked bathroom door.

"Mikey? Mikey, please just talk to me."

Nothing.

"Mikey, I just want to talk to you, _please."_

Still nothing. Just the silence that seemed to roar in his ears.

Behind the door, Mikey sat on the floor, hugging his knees. Silent tears splashed onto the cold tiles. He wanted so badly to speak, to say something, _anything._ But he just couldn't do it.

Memories flashed and flickered in his head.

_Mikey knocked the thug down and picked up the handbag he had stolen. Smiling, he walked over to the shaking woman and held it out for her._

"_Here you go, no need to thank-_

_The woman recoiled. "Get away from me, you FREAK!" she screamed, snatching her bag before running off._

_Mikey blinked at her. "…me."_

Mikey buried his face in his hands.

_Mikey swooped down and pulled a man out of the path of a car, landing sprawled on the sidewalk._

_The man blinked at him, suddenly focusing. "What's happening? Where am I?" He scrambled to his feet. "HELP! I'm being attacked by a costumed freak!" he screamed, sprinting away._

"MIKEY!" Mikey's head snapped up, as Leo pounded on the door. "Just say something, bro."

Mikey looked at the mirror on the opposite wall. Blank blue eyes stared back at him and then looked away. He couldn't even hold his own gaze any more.

Because when someone calls you a name enough times… you can't help but believe it.

**I just want to say, be careful what you call people. I was teased a lot as a kid, and I still get shy, even around the people I'm closest to. Sticks and stones can break your bones… but words will break your heart.**


End file.
